Michael Osland asks can human analytics help in your business
In recent years it has become evident that companies should use all information to their advantage. When we look at how much data there is, we notice that data is everywhere and in every corner of the business. It means that there are lots and lots of opportunities to make better decisions and improve your business. One way for this is by using human analytics.
What is human analytics?
Well, it exists under several names such as “people analytics,” “workplace intelligence,” or “organizational intelligence”. The argument behind these words is present in “The Human Analytics Institute,” which claims an organization cannot succeed if it does not understand its people: their behavior, knowledge, and emotions, as those factors will determine the outcome of all decisions.
What does it mean for you organizationally?
As we know now that data is everywhere, human analytics can provide any company with a better understanding of how people work and collaborate – or fail to – in this environment. You can then use this information to make better decisions and improve productivity.
Human analytics is not just about measuring and observing behavior patterns and characteristics: these data should be collected and analyzed to best use them. By doing so, the right decisions at the right moment can be taken by managers or leaders within an organization. It increases the motivation of staff members and makes sure everybody takes part in making well-thought decisions.
Using human analytics, companies can track and measure their employees’ daily activities better by asking the right questions to make better judgments about performance levels. The goal is to help managers understand how people work together in an organization and the best way of working to achieve goals. When this knowledge becomes available, decision-making processes improve. Michael Osland says it becomes easier for managers or other high-ranking officials to find out what works well, where improvement is needed, and who deserves a promotion.
While all of this might sound very complex human analytics is possible to implement in every company if you want this information at hand. It does depend on your organization’s needs as everybody has different goals and aspirations for their company. There are three steps where companies should start human analytics:
Ask the right questions says Michael Osland
It requires you to know what information is necessary to make better decisions. These can be described as key performance indicators (KPIs). An example of a KPI could be “how much time does somebody need from Slack announcement until he responds” or “who is most productive during Monday 9 – 10 AM”? There are many opportunities to find the right KPIs, but this needs some digging first, which takes a long time – therefore, it’s crucial to find out what kinds of KPIs you want before going on with your analysis.
Collect the correct information
Now that you know what kind of data you are searching for, it is time to determine how this will be collected. There are several ways to do so, but all of them are dependent on your company structure and process. One example could be using Slack announcements whenever somebody finishes a task or project to see who answers the fastest.
The other option is by using one central location where you can find meeting notes or other documents. It does not matter if there are different tools used simultaneously because then you need integration between those services. This way,, all information can be collected once and then analyzed afterward.